Bone plates can be engaged to adjacent bony portions of a bone or of a bony segment to stabilize the bone portions. Fasteners can be used to engage the bone plate to the bony portions. To prevent the fasteners from backing out of the plate, various set screw type retaining devices have been developed for engagement to the plate adjacent to or around the bone fasteners. Other retaining devices include an arm integrally formed with the plate and bendable to extend over a fastener in a plate hole. These retaining devices block the fasteners to prevent them from backing out of the plate.
There can be some problems associated with prior retaining devices. For example, in prior retaining devices, the head of one or more of the bone plate fasteners may interfere with the proper positioning and alignment of the retaining device relative to the fastener. Prior retaining devices may not be positionable in contact with or maintained in contact with one or more of the fasteners if the fasteners move relative to the plate, or if multiple fasteners associate with the retaining device are not at the same position relative to the plate. Also, prior retaining devices can be difficult to handle, install and/or manipulate.